Mario Gomez named Diamond Ranch head football coach

Mario Gomez has been tabbed as the new head football coach at Diamond Ranch High School. He replaces Roddy Layton, who headed the Panthers program for eight years.

Gomez, 31, had been a mainstay on Layton’s staff, joining it in 2006 as head junior varsity coach, only to be elevated to assistant varsity coach two weeks later.

He was part of a staff that took the team to CIF championship games in 2008 and 2009.

He had been the team’s defensive coordinator the last three years.

Gomez, who also teaches Spanish at the school, took the team through spring and summer drills and has retained many of the assistants so he expects the transition to be easy.

“We’re all on the same page and it has been a pretty seamless transition,” Gomez said. “I know the players and they know and respect me so we’re ready to move forward.”

Gomez said Layton had gradually been grooming him for the job so he is well prepared.

“He had been giving me more and more responsibilities,” Gomez said. “He had been hinting for a couple years it might be his last year so I am ready to go.”

Layton resigned in May amid accusations that the Panthers’ coaching staff hacked into rival Diamond Bar’s Hudl account to obtain important scouting information during the week of their Oct. 18 game.

Layton said at the time that his resignation was not related to a letter sent to the CIF-Southern Section in the spring by Diamond Bar that alleges Diamond Ranch coaches obtained Diamond Bar’s account information on Hudl and used video archives and notes to help prepare for the game.

Diamond Ranch won the game 34-20,

Gomez is a native of Orange County. He graduated from Rancho Alamitos High in 2000 and went on to Golden West Community College before finishing up a degree in psychology from University of La Verne.

The Panthers are coming off a 9-2 showing that included a Hacienda League championship. They lost a first-round playoff game to Santa Fe 31-28.

Gomez will debut as head coach in the team’s opener Aug. 29 against Nogales.

Diamond Ranch is staying in the Hacienda League, which this season will include Walnut, West Covina, Chino, Charter Oak and Los Altos.